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Deposit Refunds

  • nina murray smith

Replied by nina murray smith on topic Deposit refund!

Posted 01 Jun 2015 10:29 #441
I'm still chasing my £500 refund from OE even though I sent them a letter from Stoneygate Eye Hospital in Leicester clearly stating that I wasn't suitable for lens surgery - the reason being that I had Lasik surgery at OE 8 years ago and they got that wrong!! They left me with what I now know to be ’striae', a rippled flap of skin over my eye which now affects my vision and prevents me having lens replacement.
I am making a complaint to the General Optical Council about the optometrist (Priti) who said I could have this surgery even through she must have noticed the striae, and I am only 48 which I also now know is too young for lens exchange.
This company must be very desperate for money that they will sell these procedures to anyone no matter how unsuitable!!
Last Edit:01 Jun 2015 11:25 by nina murray smith
  • Fran Grace

Replied by Fran Grace on topic Decided Against Surgery!

Posted 31 May 2015 21:28 #442
I have appealed to Optical Express to get my £500 deposit back and they have agreed! Amazing, although they told me I have to wait "up to 28 days”.

I'm relieved to have got this far with them but I do intend to contact the Financial Ombudsman and my bank to query this. They took my deposit immediately, so why does it take 28 days to refund it?
by Fran Grace
  • ParaEllie

Replied by ParaEllie on topic Excuse after excuse.

Posted 29 May 2015 21:25 #443
I'm in exactly the same boat :(

I had my initial consultation in Leicester where they gave me the thumbs up for LASIK so I paid in full that day. I opted to travel to Cambridge for the procedure so that my brother could collect me afterwards. Once I got to the day of the procedure, they did a test which wasn't available in Leicester and changed the plan from LASIK to LASEK. I couldn't take the time out to recover from LASEK and was reluctant to make this decision in 10 minutes so I cancelled.

71 days later and I have STILL not received the full refund that I was told I was eligible for. Every time I call, I'm told the same story 7-10 working days delay. Then again. And again.

It's annoying me. A LOT.
Absolutely rubbish service.
by ParaEllie
  • Mark Thompson

Replied by Mark Thompson on topic Excuse after excuse.

Posted 22 May 2015 15:21 #444
Great site. Reassuring to know I'm not alone.

Like so many others I'm chasing a refund. Every time I ring there's a different story. After waiting the initial 28 days I'm now being told to wait a further 7-10 days due to an internal admin error. I'm now waiting the '7-10 days' for a second time and am worried I'll never see my money again. I just can't understand why they are doing this. Their own consultant told me I was not eligible.

If anyone is thinking about getting it done, ask yourself why none of the staff in the branches (at least the ones I went to) all wear glasses. None, if any, appear to have had the surgery themselves so what does that tell you?

Any help would be much appreciated.
_____________________
admin: Contact info@opticalexpressruinedmylife.co.uk
Last Edit:22 May 2015 15:29 by Mark Thompson
  • PC

Replied by PC on topic Decided against surgery with OE after research

Posted 21 May 2015 06:35 #445
Hi,

First off, big thanks to Sasha for this site.

My story, I went in for a free consultation on 7th May and as other people have found, given a false sense that the laser procedure is straight forward. I was told by the optometrist that "the cornea is the only thing that's touched" (which is true), however, I wasn't given much information about the other risks of LASIK surgery (flap complications for example). I was simply told that infection was the most common complication but the chances of this happening were less than 1 in 5,000. This all sounded great and I signed a digital form saying that the risks had been explained to me. A couple days later, I received my 'surgery pack' which included the consent form. After reading through this consent form, there were a whole host of other risks which were not once explained or brought up during my initial appointment but by now, I had already paid the £400 deposit and had surgery booked for the 29th May - if I had seen the consent form prior to doing this, I wouldn't have been so enthusiastic to sign anything. Also note that, I was never told at any point throughout the entire consultation on 7th May that the deposit was only refundable within a certain time period.

Fast forward to 13th May, and I had some concerns over the procedure so I went in informally and saw the same optometrists who had given me my initial consultation. I wanted to find out more about potential flap complications long term and she said after the first few months are over, you'll be fine and won't have to worry about the flap. This initially put my mind at ease and I went through and paid the total surgery amount of £2,895 by credit card.

From13th May to the 20th May, my research continued as my surgery date loomed closer. I then came across this and other sites which made me doubt my decision to put my vision in the hands of OE not to mention that I was no longer comfortable having LASIK conducted. Flap complications were real and I was given a false sense of security when I was told the flap is nothing to worry about. In fact, there have been numerous reports of flaps becoming dislodged years after surgery.

By now I was seriously doubting OE. On the 20th May I went onto the OE website looking for their terms and conditions regarding refunds but couldn't find any information. I then was spoken to by a 'live help assistant' whilst browsing their site and asked him where I could find the page. He said I would have to call up my local branch in order to find these as the terms and conditions varied depending on when you engaged with OE.

So, I called up OE customer service asking for the terms and conditions and the representative said they should be on the website to which I told her that wasn't true. She then went on to say that I should have received the T&Cs when I booked my appointment but I did not. She said someone from the store would give me a call back and discuss these details. I received a call from them a couple hours later but unfortunately missed it. I then tried calling back 4 times and every single time, the line was not picked up and went dead after multiple rings. I wasn't even able to leave any sort of voicemail. By this point, my focus shifted from finding out the T&Cs to outright wanting to cancel and get a full refund.

I called up OE a second time, another representative picked up and I told them I wanted to cancel my surgery and get a refund. I was told that the cancellations department would have to call me back and they'll do this within 48 hours. It's now day 2 so I'm expecting a call from them today. My argument regarding rights to getting a full refund including the deposit is that the flap complications weren't explained clearly to me, the consent form which lists out a whole host of risks were glossed over and I never once received any payment T&Cs so had no (and still have) no idea what their refund policy actually is.

Will keep you posted but would be good to hear thoughts around my situation.
by PC
  • A j murray smith

Replied by A j murray smith on topic Deposit refund!

Posted 16 May 2015 16:28 #446
Hi please can you help me get my £500 deposit back from OE for cancelled consent appointment and surgery for replacement lenses - I never signed anything with them but bailed out after reading everything on your site. They now say I can't have the deposit back. I also went to an eye surgeon at Stoneygate Eye Hospital today who said because of rippling caused by OE laser surgery 9 yrs ago to my left eye I would not be suitable for lens replacement. I have also been advised that as I am only 48 yrs old I shouldn't have been offered replacement lenses
Any help - even the right OE address to send court proceedings to would be great!
Nina
___________________
admin: Contact info@opticalexpressruinedmylife.co.uk :kiss:
Last Edit:16 May 2015 16:42 by A j murray smith
  • Deniz Demiroglu
  • Deniz Demiroglu's Avatar Offline
  • Posts: 3
  • Thank you received: 1

Replied by Deniz Demiroglu on topic Refund

Posted 12 May 2015 06:08 #447
Forgot to say that when they did my eye tests I was not given dilating eye drops. I have now found out that this is very important because without dilating the pupils the retina cannot be checked.
I am complaining to the General Optical Council about the optometrist because she was negligent to tell me I could have surgery without doing all the tests just so she could take my deposit and get her commission!
I can’t contact any one of them so if OE do not call me today and tell me they are refunding my money I have asked Sasha to help me with legal action. She has also told me she will help me make a complaint to the ombudsman.
Last Edit:12 May 2015 08:02 by Deniz Demiroglu
  • Stephanie

Replied by Stephanie on topic Decided Against Surgery!

Posted 11 May 2015 15:47 #448
My fiance and I went for our free laser eye surgery consultation at the Reading Clinic on Friday 8th May 2015.

Inga, the refractive technician who I thought was the receptionist, performed the first tests and told us she'd had iDesign iLASIK and said that the only after effect is that your eyes can feel gritty or blurred but this only lasts 1-2 days. I asked if it would be ok to have it done before we go away in June and that said yes – all you need to do is keep your eyes dry for the first two weeks following the procedure. I thought great, iwe can have new eyes for holiday and not worry about recovering as the gritty feeling will only last 1-2 days.

We then met the optometrist, Perdeep Girdi. She checked our vision and then applied drops which made our pupil dilate, followed by more tests. We were super excited as she said we were both suitable for treatment. She quickly went through the prices - a huge shock to the system as it was thousands of pounds more than we expected. We were told it was best to go for iDesign LASIK – quicker recovery, better results, money back promotion if you didn’t achieve 20/20 vision, and NO RISK to the eye as it creates a protective flap (I loved that there was no risk). After this we were then asked to watch a short 5 minute video, difficult as our vision was blurred.

They quoted £4,000 for me and £4,400 for Robert because he had a higher prescription. They said because we were having it done together they would offer a 10% discount (5% each) but we declined as it was far more than we wanted to pay. We were still in a bit of shock – excitement of being told were suitable and the shock of the price! Then they came back with an offer of £2,795 each if we downgraded to another machine – I asked what would be the lowest price for the LASIK.- £2995 each. We thought wow, that’s a bargain, they’ve knocked off £2,400 (still a lot though looking back)

Robert paid his in full and I paid a deposit of £1,250 and set up Hitachi finance – this was at 5.50pm. We were given a booklet to look through once we got home and told to read through and sign every bit (but only if we were 100% happy) The treatment was booked for the following Friday.

At this point we weren’t told that by paying we were agreeing to the terms and conditions in the booklet! I also had to ask who surgeon was and we were told Mr Mehul Damani.

I woke up the next morning in complete panic! I was searching for reviews and was shocked at what I found. All the things they said would only last a few days can become life term!!

I then grabbed the consent form and to my shock there it was - a list of all the risks (which were never once mentioned before we paid because we were told it’s risk free). I can’t risk my sight.

We called Optical Express immediately to cancel (13 hours after booking). They said someone wouldn’t get back to us on Monday (today) but I said that’s too late as I wouldn’t get my money back as you have to give 7 days notice before your appointment. They said not to worry we have put a note on your system. I was not at all happy with this and asked them to email what they said in writing so I had proof. They also said I would get a call from the OE store in Reading where we went.

I waited and waited - time was getting on and I had to have something in writing to prove I cancelled within the policy terms. Robert finally got through to the store where they tried to persuade him to go ahead and have it done so I can see what it’s like, as I was the one with all the concerns of the possible side effects. He said no, we need time to think as we were MISLED into believing it’s completely safe and weren’t told about the possible side effects - how long they can really last. They said we would be fine because of our age (27 and 28) and really tried to reassure him that everything will be ok, but finally accepted we needed time to think.

They said they would process the cancellation and we’d hear back from someone later in the day.

We waited and waited, but had no email, no call. We called again to be told it was fine, that it’s with our cancellation team and they are really busy today. I wasn’t happy with this as I still had no confirmation.

We decided to rush to the clinic where we had our consultation and speak to them before they closed. They said the same thing - they couldn’t do anything as the head office deals with it. They did say they sent a request to cancel and the process starts from when they first request it. I got them to put this in writing that this cancellation was sent.

So here I am – Monday 11th May and we still haven’t had any confirmation that it’s cancelled or anything.

They are quick enough to call you when you want to make an appointment and don’t stop calling you to remind you, yet when you want to cancel you hear nothing. We both feel very ignored and hurt as they have got our money. They were quick enough to take it but once they have it – it’s another story.

All I want is our money back.

I’m so worried because I have found out that people have problems getting their refund when they change their mind. But I am so glad I cancelled the operation after discovering the problems people have (with thanks to google ) and have now got an appointment for contact lenses.
Last Edit:11 May 2015 22:52 by Stephanie
  • Shahid

Replied by Shahid on topic Deposit refund

Posted 06 May 2015 15:57 #449
Hello,

Sorry if someone don't understand as English is my second language.

I went for an eye surgery consultation with optical express in Trafford centre Manchester on 28/04/2015. On the day after eye examination they put some drops in my eyes, they did some checkup again and recommend mono laser for my right eye and they told me that if you go for both eyes your near vision will be more worst and you will need reading glasses but with one eye surgery you will not need any reading glasses and you can check all this by wearing a lense before surgery , then if you satisfied with your vision you can go ahead otherwise no. They booked me for temporary lense on 5th May and lasik on 2nd June with £395 deposit as he said if you book it today it will be 10% off.

So, I have given a week after date to try lense as I went for the lense on 05/05/2015 on 7th day of my booking but lense were not available so I was told that we will call you some other time for the lense appointment. The person I met today told me a different story that if you even go for mono laser it will effect your near vision.

They didn't even told me anything about cancellation process as I already gave £395 deposit for one eye and I have not given any lense to make my mind. I talk to them today that I want to cancel it but they said it has to be cancelled in 72 hours. Their Website is showing 7 days for cancellation.

What I want to say that they have to tell the patient about cancellation and vision problems after lasik surgery before asking for deposit or booking, it is not really fair if someone playing with the health of people for some quids.

What I have decided that I don't want to lose my near vision forever for the sake of my far vision. The best solution for my problem is to wear glasses or contact lenses. I want your help to get back my hard earned deposit. Please help me to get this deposit back.

Regards

Shahid
by Shahid
  • Deniz Demiroglu
  • Deniz Demiroglu's Avatar Offline
  • Posts: 3
  • Thank you received: 1

Replied by Deniz Demiroglu on topic Refund

Posted 02 May 2015 16:20 #450
Hello everyone,
Like most people in their 40s my eyesight started to deteriorate but I never really thought about having laser eye treatment until I was pressured by Optical Express, constantly seeing their pop up ads for laser eye surgery. I am currently unemployed so I was unable to afford it but my boyfriend said if it’s £395 to go ahead and he would help pay. OE called to book my appointment on the 18th April. After filling in the form they took me to a room, where they did some eye tests on machines. At the end of the consultation, I was given contact lenses and told that after the surgery I would be able to see the way I could see with the contact lenses. After that they rushed me to the finance room and told me it was £3,990! I was shocked at the price and told the woman I wouldn't be able to afford this. She told me I had a voucher for a discount up to £2,000 and if I wanted the big discount I should act now and pay the deposit of £400 immediately and I could pay the rest on a finance agreement.
I told her to give me time to go home and speak to my boyfriend, but she told me no, if I wanted it I should call him now, and she showed me a phone on the table and left the room.
I rang my boyfriend to discuss this and he said he only had £100 so I rang my daughter and she loaned me £300.
I told the woman that I'm not working so how would the finance work. She said my boyfriend would be my guarantor and she gave me papers to sign and booked me in for the operation on the 27th April and gave me the leaflet for the Westfields branch in White City and asked me to go there before the operation day to set up the face with my boyfriend.
She did not tell me any information about the surgery or the whole procedure. She just told me to come with sunglasses on the day of the operation. Before the date of my surgery I went to Westfield but they said there was no-one able to set up finances for me that day and apologised and said someone will call me to set it up over the phone.
Nobody rang me so I decided to ring them, which I had to do numerous times. Nobody got back to me and it felt weird that a big company such as Optical Express would work like this.
I didn't go to my operation as nobody had set up my finances despite all the effort I put trying to contact them. During this time also I lost my trust in the company as I felt it was dodgy and didn't want to go through with the operation.
I did some research into the company and found many people had experienced the same problems. Now it has been two weeks and they still havent rung me. I feel like I have been robbed. English is my second language. This sort of things happen in 3rd world countries but I never expected it from a company in the UK.
They have no right to keep my deposit for two weeks.
I eventually got through to them once with email and once over the phone, but they told me my deposit is not refundable but I intend to fight to get it back!

Thank you.
Last Edit:06 May 2015 14:16 by Deniz Demiroglu
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